Eritrea’s Cycling Success: Credit Where It’s Due

Merhawi Kudus swarmed with journalists and adoring fans before his race

Eritrea’s Cycling Success: Credit Where It’s Due

By Bereket Kidane

What a week it has been. It’s been an unforgettable two weeks of July so far. Eritreans around the world were captivated by the performance of their riders on the Grand Tour of cycling and all the coverage they were receiving by the international media for being trail blazers. A certain reporter for the Washington Post, Adam Taylor, who has never been to Eritrea, tried to argue that Eritrean athletes had become world class athletes not because of the support they received from the Government of Eritrea but in spite of it. Say what! Let’s get it straight Mr. Taylor. There are many reasons why Eritrean riders are enjoying a lot of success in international competitions and why cycling as a sport is popular in Eritrea. To name a few: Eritrea has bike friendly cities, love of sporting culture in general, great weather, and an investment in the sport by the Government of Eritrea. Without the moral and financial support from the Government of Eritrea as well as an investment in the sport by the Government of Eritrea, it is hard to imagine how Eritrean riders from modest backgrounds like Daniel Teklepolkadot could achieve the success that they have.

It was good of Mr. Taylor, however, to mention that Eritrea was the only one of its neighbors to achieve the UN Millenium Development Goals related to health and living standards. Surprise, surprise! Health, nutrition, and sports training go hand in hand when it comes to athletic achievement. Health and food security have always been at the top of the Government of Eritrea’s priorities and its overall bottom-up approach to development. The results are starting to speak for themselves.

Cycling is a grueling sport. It requires a lot of training, discipline, hard work, stamina, endurance and teamwork. It turns out that the very character traits that have been attributed to Eritreans over the years are ones that are required to be successful in professional cycling. There were many great cycling legends in Eritrea from the past decades who were denied glory on the international stage because of Eritrea’s status in Ethiopian politics. The current cyclists of Eritrea are beneficiaries of the fruits of independence. First and foremost, credit goes to those terrific world class Eritrean athletes that are making it happen. But it would be foolish for people like Mr. Taylor to argue that Eritrean athletes would have attained the level of success they have without some investment in the sport by the Government of Eritrea. After all, who maintains the road that the athletes train on? Who provides the infrastructure and equipment for training? Who organizes the sporting competitions? I could go on and on.